Tianbao Dragon Fire Glazed Top

Early the next morning, our group set out together.

It was clear that none of us had slept well the night before. The things we had seen and heard along the way had instilled in us an instinctive fear of the Ten Dire Tombs. Knowing that it was built on a dead dragon vein only added to our unease, casting a shadow over each of our hearts.

Indeed, just as described in the "Secret Techniques of Faqiu," the scenery inside the mountains was starkly different from the magnificent view we had seen from the mountaintop the day before.

The mountains were shrouded in darkness, without a trace of sunlight, almost as if the sun had already set behind the mountains. Since we were to move deep into the mountains, we were all dressed warmly. Despite this, the cold still bit into me. Looking around, except for Wu Fatty, who was insulated by his layer of fat, everyone's face was pale, clearly unable to withstand the chilling climate.

"Everyone, be careful."

Qingyi, with an unchanged expression, removed the evil-repelling sword from her back and said in a deep voice, "The climate here is very conducive to the presence of malevolent entities. Even now, during daylight, they can roam freely. Be vigilant and don't let them take advantage of you."

Reminded by Qingyi, I quickly took out the Faqiu seal from my backpack and wore it. That mysterious woman had told me that with this item, filthy things wouldn't be able to touch me. Being naturally deficient in yang energy, I could easily fall prey to malevolent entities, which could potentially be fatal. To be safe, I decided to get everything ready in advance.

The task of locating the tomb was assigned to Wu Fatty. Originally, he wanted me to lead the search, but with my limited knowledge, if I were to lead them, we could end up exhausted without finding anything!

For the entire morning, Wu Fatty led us around the mountains. During this time, we discovered several robbers' tunnels, presumably opened by tomb raiders in the past. Qingyi tried entering one of the tunnels and later told us that the tombs inside were empty, with many dead inside. It's likely that these tombs, part of the Ten Dire Tombs, were completely destroyed by the tomb raiders, and the items inside were probably dealt with as well. After all, who dares to enter the ancient tombs of the Qinling Mountains if not those bold and skilled?

This was somewhat good news for us. If the tomb raiders had destroyed a few of the ominous tombs, it meant less trouble for us. Along the way, we encountered seven such tombs, which was quite astonishing. This was probably the only thing we could feel fortunate about!!

It seems we only need to destroy the remaining three tombs, and the outer tombs of the Ten Dire Tombs would be completely dismantled, allowing direct access to the main tomb!

While I felt fortunate, I also lamented how many people in this world are willing to risk their lives for money. Even a terrifying group of tombs like the Ten Dire Tombs was robbed to this extent. I guess if it weren't for the fact that too many people died later on, making the items taken from inside unsellable on the market, there would probably be even more tomb raiders coming in. Perhaps the Ten Dire Tombs would have been completely destroyed by now!

So, we walked and stopped in the mountains, and for the entire day, Wu Fatty didn't find a suitable place to start. It wasn't until dusk, when we were all exhausted, that Wu Fatty finally stopped at the foot of a majestic mountain, staring at it intently and occasionally picking up and sniffing the soil from the ground.

"Hey, Fatty, you haven't gone mad, thinking there's a tomb on this mountain, have you?"

Zhang Jinya patted Fatty's shoulder and said, "I may not be in your profession, but I also know that tombs are rarely buried on mountains. It's not convenient for human transportation."

"You know nothing!"

Fatty slapped Zhang Jinya's hand away and coldly laughed, "Those buried in small mountain valleys either had no power during their lives or belonged to a poor and weak era, lacking the ability to open tombs on mountains. But that doesn't mean tombs can't be built on mountains! Not to mention, during the peak of China's national power in the Tang Dynasty, all the tombs of the officials and nobles were opened on mountains, digging into the mountain to create a burial chamber for their afterlife!!"

Saying this, Fatty looked at the mountain again and said, "Whether it's the geomancy or something else, this place is definitely suitable for burial. I guess there's an eight or nine out of ten chance there's a tomb here!"

"Only one way to find out!"

Rosa, carrying several guns, said, "We've been walking all day without rest, a little more time won't hurt. Fatty, didn't you bring a Luoyang shovel? Just hammer it into the ground and pull it out to see."

Fatty nodded and headed straight up the mountain, not only did Zhang Jinya's face turn green, but I also felt somewhat miserable.

I must say, tomb raiding is indeed a tough job. Without some resilience, it's really not doable. Just searching for the tomb requires traversing numerous places, a very arduous task. Zhang Jinya even complained at the foot of the mountain, asking why we had to climb it if we could test it from below.

To this, Wu Fatty patiently explained—if there really is a Tang tomb opened into the mountain here, then the central point on the top of the mountain would correspond to the main chamber of the Tang tomb. Hammering a Luoyang shovel there would definitely bring up soil adjacent to the tomb, making the judgment most accurate.

Secondly, if there really is a tomb inside this mountain, the robbers' tunnel would definitely have to be dug from the top because entering from the top would allow direct access to the main chamber, avoiding many traps and reducing the danger significantly!

With Fatty's explanation, we felt somewhat embarrassed to say anything more and could only smile bitterly, shut our mouths, and grit our teeth as we climbed the mountain.

As the saying goes, "the mountain deceives the eye," meaning what you see might not represent the true height and distance. From the foot of the mountain, it didn't seem too high, but once we actually began climbing, we were stunned. It took us more than an hour of climbing before we finally reached the top.

By that time, Zhang Jinya, Zhou Jing, and I were already panting heavily, seeing stars, even Rosa's breathing was somewhat rapid, and Fatty's camouflage uniform was soaked through with sweat, only Qingyi seemed to be in a relatively better condition.

To my surprise, although Fatty was exhausted, his enthusiasm was undiminished. After reaching the top, he threw down his backpack, took out the Luoyang shovel and some white wax rods, grabbed a hammer, and went to work. I couldn't help but say he should rest for a while, but he just left me with a sentence—"If you want to rest, then rest. I get excited when I see a tomb. If I don't figure this out today, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Damn, he's hopeless!

I cursed in my heart, with no intention of bothering with him. I found a large bluestone and lay down on it. Perhaps due to exhaustion, my eyelids grew heavier, and I drifted into a semi-conscious state.

I don't know how much time had passed when I was startled awake by a "crack" sound.

The sound came so suddenly that it gave me a fright. Opening my eyes, I saw Rosa and Qingyi had already gone towards Fatty, who was laughing maniacally in the distance: "There is! There's definitely a tomb! That sound is unmistakable, I've decided to hammer the shovel into the tomb's top!"

Feeling a surge of energy, I quickly ran over. By the time I got there, Fatty had already pulled out the Luoyang shovel, which was strangely covered in a black, oily substance.

I was speechless at the sight: "Fatty, didn't you say you hit the tomb's top? Why does it look like you've discovered an oil field?"

Fatty also seemed a bit taken aback, frowning as he sniffed the shovel, then slowly said after a moment of contemplation, "It is indeed a tomb, but this tomb's top is quite special. Have you heard of the Tianbao Dragon Fire Glazed Top?"

With Fatty's mention, I immediately recalled a type of tomb structure.

This tomb structure originated during the Tianbao era of the Tang Dynasty, under the rule of Emperor Xuanzong. The craftsmanship of this structure was very advanced, with the tomb chamber being hollow. The ceiling was first laid with a layer of extremely thin glazed tiles, on top of which were bags of Western Region dragon oil. Another layer of glazed tiles was placed on top, followed by the sealing soil. Any external force entering would break the top, causing the dragon oil to ignite upon contact with air. Any tomb raider approaching would be instantly burned, along with the burial objects and the corpse of the tomb owner. This was a desperate anti-theft method, where the tomb owner would rather destroy their own belongings than have their corpse desecrated by tomb raiders.

This type of tomb structure is not recorded in the "Secret Techniques of Faqiu," because in the era of my ancestors, such advanced structural technology had not yet appeared. The reason I knew about this was entirely due to watching documentaries about archaeology. I never thought I would encounter such a tomb myself. It's also fortunate that Fatty only hammered in a Luoyang shovel just now, preventing the oil from contacting the air, otherwise, we would have been done for!

Knowing how troublesome this type of tomb structure was, I immediately asked Fatty, "What do we do next?"

"Avoid the Dragon Fire Glazed Top."

Fatty sighed, "As long as we don't touch it, we'll be fine. We can dig the robbers' tunnel from the side, but if we enter from the side, there's a distance to the main chamber. There are countless traps and hidden weapons along the way, making our journey troublesome. We might even lose our lives!"